He is a glorified engineer, and that is all he wants to be, which is why he insists on having his credit be "Recorded By: Steve Albini" instead of "Produced by Steve Albini".

By all accounts, a cool (if difficult) person.

Mee too.

The whole role of Producer is a very fuzzy and fluid concept.

Can't really list ones I don't like... but I could go on & on with ones I love. (starts new thread).

More difficult than cool. Talented though.

his lack of involvement is still a style and a sound. I don't avoid albums because they're produced by someone, but i will check out an album if I like the producer.

And if a producer has a vision, the inclination, and the abilities to use the studio as another "instrument", there's nothing wrong with that. I personally like that element of the role of a producer.

another good example of albini is Pixies - Surfer Rosa. Drums in front, guitars next, then bass, and vocals way in the back.

I agree. I mean most of these bands know their way around a studio well enough to do it by themselves but I would think it does help to have that outside creative force there cheering you along and throwing out ideas.

Agreed, but if their playing that instrument overshadows the sound and vision of the band they are producing, it is not a good thing, IMO.

And I suppose that by saying Albini is "cool" I mean "principled".

I meant opinionated to a fault.

Regardless, it's not like bands don't know what they're getting into, like they just walk into a room and it's all like, "so uh, you're the producer? well let me tune up."

Having had feathers ruffled by producers, they usually have a point that the individual players don't see, or they're listening to the whole track.

But all the slick production in the world can't hide a bad song. Or a good song.

Kind of like all the wet-nosed indie rock kids who can't play a damn can't hide a good song with their horrendous playing and bad taste.

any modern hardcore producer.